TEDTalks are really a fantastic medium to absorb information, because it forces speakers to choose words carefully and be more expressive in their lectures. We've covered some good ones, and even some fake ones, but this TEDTalk from Rob Reid attempts to shine a little light on copyright mathematicians and just how...accurate their information might be. You have to wonder where they get some of these numbers.

From FilmmakerIQ, here's the video:

It's fascinating to see the comparisons that Rob makes to real-world commerce, and how piracy math is hilariously hyperbolic. It's always amazed me that Hollywood gives such incredibly inflated numbers, when in reality the issue of piracy is much more nuanced and intricate than a simple number could ever convey. We need to have real conversations about piracy, and about what it means for independent filmmakers, because to say it's a simple matter of theft is just ignoring the much bigger issue: consumer viewing habits have changed dramatically and as Louis C.K. has proven, piracy seems to be more about accessibility than it is about consumers refusing to pay for content. Consumers want to pay for content, but DRM and long release windows force many people into piracy for the sake of convenience.

Hollywood accomplishes nothing by painting piracy in such broad and inaccurate strokes.

[via FilmmakerIQ]

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